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Listen to this articleBig changes are coming to Headquarters Plaza in Morristown.
The Olnick Organization, Fisher Development Associates and city officials gathered Tuesday at the recently remodeled Hyatt Regency Morristown to reveal a new name, HQ Plaza, and new design for the 1 million-square-foot mixed-use complex.
HQ Plaza reinvigorates not just the presentation of the property, but its purpose within the greater context of the Morris County seat. A partnership of The Olnick Organization and Fisher Development Associates own Headquarters Plaza. The design comes from longtime Morristown resident, Gensler.
Central to the plans is a reimagined main concourse facilitating access from HQ Plaza’s three office towers to the Hyatt. Beyond activating the space with a curated offering of amenities, dining and entertainment options, the changes seek to invite people to inhabit it for more than just getting from “Point A” to “Point B.” That offer extends to tenants, hotel guests and the general public.
Opening up
Rene Cruz, project director at Gensler, presented the plans. The major transformation will occur at the center of Headquarters Plaza. The work will take a visually closed-off area and reinvent it as a vibrant, flexible and open collaborative space.
“The transformation of the HQ Garden Lounge now offers a variety of seating arrangements that host many different types of collaboration experiences, from relaxed lounge seating with area rugs and touchdown spaces located around circular bench seating,” Cruz explained.
Vibrant biophilia and translucent daylight lighting will help provide a sense of outdoors on the inside.
“This collaborative space has been curated to enhance the experience for the tenants, the visitors and the hotel guests,” Cruz explained. “It’s a transformation that was what was purely a visually closed area to an area of flexible space offering various seating arrangements for collaboration, working and even private events. In addition, the conference rooms … will be available for reservation by HQ Plaza patrons and guests.”
The reimagined areas will feature video displays with coordinated with digital content. Within the space, tenants will have access to various connectivity points for laptops, Wi-Fi and A/V connections, Cruz said.
A new internal experience app will roll out to tenants as well, he added. That development allows users to customize their own experience in the space on their phone from anywhere in the building. Cruz said, “The app can provide access to scheduled events, food ordering, amenities, room reservations, right from the palm of your hand.”
The setting
According to Fisher, work is expected to start in the next month or two. Including exterior updates, he pegged the price tag for the project at approximately $7 million.
On the outside, finishes will offer a clean, simple and modern look, according to the presentation.
Situated above a 3,000-space parking garage, HQ Plaza is a dynamic office, hospitality and retail complex encompassing:
- 650,000 square feet of Class A office space
- 100,000 square feet of retail space
- The 256-room Hyatt Regency Morristown
- A 40,000-square-foot Crunch health club with indoor swimming pool
- A 10-screen AMC movie theater
More options
Additional tenants are also on the horizon. While executives teased “a lot of” new occupiers coming soon, they announced three new food options. That was welcome news to current tenants in attendance, who lamented the dearth choices in that regard to NJBIZ.
Creating a new “restaurant row,” Sushi Lounge, Parkside Tavern and Masseria by Joe Cetrulo will occupy prime retail space along Speedwell Avenue.
Meanwhile, HQ Plaza has racked up 14 new leases for office space over the past year totaling 100,000 square feet. Executive Vice Chairman Robert Donnelly, Vice Chairman Robert Donnelly Jr. and Executive Managing Director Ben Brenner of Cushman & Wakefield serve as leasing agents for the property’s office component.
“Building a project of this scale in downtown Morristown was pioneering from the start. The original Headquarters Plaza, with its Class A office space, ample parking and outstanding amenities has been instrumental in enabling corporate employers to consistently attract and retain top talent over the years,” Robert Donnelly Jr. commented. “The new HQ Plaza will further elevate Morristown’s reputation as one of the most desirable areas of the state to live, work and play.”
An evolving area
Fisher Development Principal Brian Fisher made it a point to thank Morristown Mayor Timothy Dougherty. He described the mayor as “instrumental” in the work at Headquarters Plaza.
“He has got real foresight,” Fisher said. “I think anybody who knows how the evolution of the town has been is thrilled, and we want to be a part of that evolution.”
Seth Schochet, president of The Olnick Organization, spoke of “creating an unmatched workplace environment at the heart of this busy downtown” with the project.
For what’s ahead, Fisher said he thinks it will change the whole environment “for the better — for much better.”
Signs of investments in Morristown surround HQ Plaza. Across Speedwell Avenue is Valley National Bank’s brand-new headquarters, while SJP Properties’ M Station developments are a short distance away. And there’s those rising residential options, as well.
Reflecting on past reputations of the mall at Headquarters Plaza, Dougherty looked toward the future.
“Morristown changes,” he said. “We’ve been evolving over the last 15 years, maybe longer, with … corporations moving to town who are reinvesting their money. And now, Fisher and Olnick organization is stepping up and going to renovate the inside of this mall.”
$25 million, so far
As the city’s largest taxpayer, the 40-plus-year-old property is invested in multiple ways. And efforts to reinvigorate HQ Plaza have already produced results. The team said it’s spent $25 million so far. That work includes the recently renovated Hyatt, as well as the reinvigorated outdoor plaza.(Gensler also designed the hotel project).
“And they continue to reinvest in our community, and that’s all we can ever ask for,” Dougherty said.
The project aims to activate space within HQ Plaza, similar to how its 50,000-square-foot outdoor plaza has become an engaged space for the community.
“This renovation along with its forthcoming restaurant and retail offerings will further raise Morristown’s profile while providing … amenities and conveniences for both you, as our tenants, and the community at large to experience,” Schochet said.
“Obviously, we’re not finished,” Fisher said at the presentation’s conclusion. “We’ve been in Morristown a long time and we are happy to contribute to Morristown’s great future.”
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